The present invention relates to a three-dimensional scanning probe microscope, and more specifically, is directed to such a three-dimensional scanning probe microscope capable of acquiring a plurality of types of physical information of a sample during a single scanning operation or single pass.
As a method for observing a shape of a sample surface and a physical amount characteristic of the sample surface using a conventional scanning probe microscope, an observation method is mainly subdivided into a method for observing a sample while a probe is brought in contact with the sample, and another method for observing a sample while a probe is not brought in contact with the sample.
When a sample is observed by way of the former method, for instance, concave/convex images of a surface of the sample and friction images thereof can be separately observed. On the other hand, when a sample is observed by way of the latter method, physical information emitted from a surface of the sample, for example, a magnetic distribution image and an electrostatic distribution image of the sample can be observed.
In the above-described observation methods, the sample surface is scanned in a two-dimensional manner by the probe so as to be observed, while the probe is brought in contact with the sample surface, or is separated from the sample surface by a predetermined distance. As a result, data which is acquired during a single observation operation merely corresponds to a single physical amount contained in a sample. These observation methods are not especially designed to be capable of acquiring a plurality of physical amounts during a single observation operation. Also, in the conventional observation methods, for instance, in such a case that a magnetic distribution image of a sample is observed, although the two-dimensional magnetic distribution image of the sample where the probe is at a position separated from this sample by a preselected distance can be observed, there is a problem. That is, a three-dimensional magnetic distribution image of the sample cannot be observed. This three-dimensional magnetic distribution image is produced by adding a magnetic distribution of a height direction of the sample to this two-dimensional magnetic distribution image.
The present invention has been made in view of the shortcoming of the above-described conventional techniques, and provides a three-dimensional scanning probe microscope capable of observing a plurality of physical amounts of a sample while an observation is carried out in one pass. Another object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional scanning probe microscope capable of acquiring a physical characteristic of a sample in a three-dimensional manner.